Linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly, system, and method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly including a housing, a first bearing, a second bearing, a shaft, a tooling adapter, a pusher, and a bolt. The housing can have a first end and a second end. The first bearing can have a first hole formed therethrough and can be positioned at the first end of the housing. The second bearing can have a second hole formed therethrough and can be positioned at the second end of the housing. The shaft can be movably disposed within the housing. The shaft can have a friction reducing coating. The tooling adapter or the pusher can be disposed inside the shaft. The bolt can be disposed through and attach the pusher and the tooling adapter to the shaft. The shaft can be permitted to move in a reciprocating manner within the housing without grease.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly, comprising:
 a housing having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and an inner surface, and the inner surface defining a cavity;   a first bearing having a first hole formed therethrough, the first bearing positioned at the first end of the housing;   a second bearing having a second hole formed therethrough, the second bearing positioned at the second end of the housing;   a shaft movably disposed within the cavity of the housing, the shaft having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the shaft disposed through the first hole of the first bearing and the second portion disposed through the second hole of the second bearing, the shaft having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the exterior surface having a friction reducing coating;   one of
 a tooling adapter disposed inside the shaft; 
 a pusher disposed inside the shaft; and 
   a bolt disposed through and attaching one of the pusher and the tooling adapter to the shaft,   whereby the shaft is permitted to move in a reciprocating manner within the housing without grease.   
     
     
         2 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the friction reducing coating on the exterior surface of the shaft includes tungsten carbide powder. 
     
     
         3 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein there is a hard chrome plating between the exterior of the shaft and the friction reducing coating, and the hard chrome plating having a Rockwell hardness of between about 68 HRC and about 72 HRC. 
     
     
         4 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft has a shaft outer diameter and a longitudinal axis, and interior surface of the shaft has a first bore with a first bore diameter, a second bore with a second bore diameter, a third bore with a third bore diameter, and a fourth bore with a fourth bore diameter, and each of the first bore, the second bore, the third bore, and the fourth bore are coaxially aligned along the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the first bore has a first smooth surface, the second bore has a second threaded surface, the third bore has a third smooth surface, and the fourth bore has a fourth threaded surface. 
     
     
         6 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the tool adapter has a threaded tooling adapter exterior surface that is threadably engaged with the second threaded surface of the second bore of the shaft. 
     
     
         7 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the pusher has a threaded pusher exterior surface that is threadedly engaged with the second threaded surface of the second bore of the shaft. 
     
     
         8 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the bolt has a threaded bolt exterior surface that is threadably engaged with the fourth threaded surface of the fourth bore of the shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the fourth threaded surface of the fourth bore of the shaft and the threaded bolt exterior surface are reverse threaded. 
     
     
         10 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 4 , further including a key coupled to the shaft with at least one key fastener, the at least one key fastener extending into the shaft in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis a fastener distance that is less than a shaft wall thickness, the shaft wall thickness defined as half a difference of the shaft outer diameter and the fourth bore diameter. 
     
     
         11 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the inner surface of the housing has a key slot and the key is engaged with the key slot. 
     
     
         12 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the key is configured to militate against a rotation of the shaft within the housing about the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         13 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first bearing and the second bearing are made of polytetrafluoroethylene and graphite. 
     
     
         14 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is a continuous and uninterrupted cylinder. 
     
     
         15 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft has an average surface roughness (Ra) between about 8 micrometer and 12 micrometer. 
     
     
         16 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising an air pocket defined by a volume disposed between the inner surface of the housing and the exterior surface of the shaft. 
     
     
         17 . The linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first bearing is removably attached to the first end of the housing with a first bearing fastener and the second bearing is removably attached to the second end of the housing with a second bearing fastener. 
     
     
         18 . A product manufacturing system, comprising:
 a product indexing machine configured to move a product from a first processing location to a second processing location;   a plurality of linear bearing pusher assemblies, including a first linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly disposed at the first processing location and a second linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly disposed at the second processing location, each of the linear bearing pusher assemblies having
 a housing having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and an inner surface, and the inner surface defining a cavity, 
 a first bearing having a first hole formed therethrough, the first bearing positioned at the first end of the housing, 
 a second bearing having a second hole formed therethrough, the second bearing positioned at the second end of the housing, 
 a shaft movably disposed within the cavity of the housing, the shaft having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the shaft disposed through the first hole of the first bearing and the second portion disposed through the second hole of the second bearing, the shaft having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the exterior surface having a friction reducing coating, 
 one of
 a tooling adapter disposed inside the shaft, 
 a pusher disposed inside the shaft, and 
 
 a bolt disposed through and attaching the pusher and the tooling adapter to the shaft, 
 whereby the shaft is permitted to move in a reciprocating manner within the housing without grease; and 
   a first tooling attached to the tooling adapter of the first linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly, the first tooling configured to process the product at the first processing location,   wherein the second linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly includes the pusher, and   whereby the product is manufactured after being processed at each of the first processing location and the second processing location.   
     
     
         19 . The product manufacturing system of  claim 18 , wherein the product is a can to be manufactured. 
     
     
         20 . A method for forming a product via product indexing machine, comprising steps of:
 providing the product manufacturing system of  claim 18 ;   providing the product at the first processing location;   causing the first tooling to process the product by an operation of the first linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly;   moving the product from the first processing location to the second processing location; and   causing the pusher to process the product by an operation of the second linear bearing pusher and tooling assembly,   whereby the product is manufactured.